Red (An EverAfterHigh Fanfic)

~Chapter 3~ A Little Tug

Lizzie stared out of the window just in time to see Cerise darting through the gates. There would have been a frown on Lizzie's face but she'd seen it so often she no longer cared to question Cerise about it. She looked around her room of red and gold contemplating the day. Sighing, she headed for the door to see Apple. Maybe if she said to Apple that she was sorry and didn't want to fight over a boy then it would all be resolved. But then, that meant that Lizzie would not get her chance to be with Daring. Daring was not really a friend of hers but Lizzie wanted him to be, no doubt about it. There was something about him that just made her knees weak. Just thinking about him right now made her sigh in desperation for his hand holding hers. 

Duchess Swan, daughter of the Swan Queen, her roommate had been looking at Lizzie for multiple minutes with raised eyebrows and a cheeky smirk. Although Lizzie and Duchess were friends, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to tell her about today if she didn't already know as Duchess had a huge crush on Daring as well. It wouldn't be surprising if everyone had a crush on Daring, he was everything anyone could ever want in a man. Well apart from the fact he isn't the brightest crayon in the box. 

"Who are you all googly eyes over then?" Duchess pirouetted once and then waltzed her way towards Lizzie from her white and black bed and dresser with to much grace to handle. Lizzie took a moment to admire Duchess's talent before returning to her Daring fantasies wondering what to say to Duchess.  

Duchess waved a hand in Lizzie's face in order to free her from her own thoughts but only for one answer. Lizzie looked at Duchess, surely she already knew. The feather on Duchess's head moved frantically in the wind as she pranced around the room, jumping from the normal floor of Lizzie's side to the raised stage like flooring on Duchess's side of the room. Duchess sighed making Duchess stop before gliding closer. 

"Come on Lizzie, you can tell me, I won't tell unless it will get me a happily ever after!" Duchess started off completely supportive but then it faded when her desperate obsession over getting a happy ending instead of her destined tragic one kicked in. Lizzie shifted on her window seat, pressing her black gloved hands into the red satin cushions. The curtains swayed in the wind that had picked up from the open window and Duchess grimaced from the chill before honking more like a goose than a swan. 

"I'm not all googly eyes over anyone" Lizzie stated a little to quickly, Duchess raised her eyebrows as if to say 'yeah right' forcing Lizzie to continue with an excuse, "I was just wondering where the wind was coming from because I thought I had closed the window"

"The window you were staring out of?" Duchess snorted before perching herself on the edge of the window seat next to Lizzie. Lizzie adjusted her crown that separated a heart shaped beehive-like hair do from the rest of her long black and red hair nervously, Duchess was onto her. But Lizzie still felt like telling her was a bad idea, Duchess would surely twist her words into something that could lower Lizzie's royal ranking and possibly make her loose her fairy-tale ending. Lizzie could not let that happen!

"Was I?" Lizzie said as Duchess nodded with a look on her face like someone who was questioning someone's sanity. Lizzie waited for a reply that did not come, Duchess was absolutely speechless. Before Duchess's black ballet pumps could dance her away, Lizzie reached out and took Duchess's hand pulling it back to the bench for a second while she lied again, "I was daydreaming, you know me."

Duchess looked at Lizzie for minutes on end with her eyebrows still raised, Lizzie was starting to consider the fact that they were permanently stuck there. But finally she lowered them and backed away to her bed. Lizzie plugged some headphones in as did Duchess while she sketched some design ideas and Duchess danced. Finding inspiration from the song she was listening to and Duchess's movement, she got wound up in her own thoughts that she completely forgot about her plans to see Apple, and if she should follow through with them.

-

"Hey Apple, have you apologised to them?" Ashlynn-Ella asked while arranging shoes one of the boutique shelves at The Glass Slipper shoe boutique. Ashlynn-Ella was the daughter of Cinderella, she was a royal for the most part, but recently she was debating it. Ashlynn had a boyfriend, a rebel boyfriend which up until they were exposed, had never been done before. Apple looked at Ashlynn before covering her mouth as if it could cover the sudden shame that flooded through her blushed cheeks. 

"Well I- No" Apple stuttered from beneath her hand. Ashlynn looked straight at Apple for a few seconds before placing some golden pumps onto another shelf. Ashlynn felt uncomfortable so she started to twirl her bronze hair around a manicured finger and try to concentrate on something else like the pattern of her blue and pink knee high dress or the many boxes of beautifully made shoes. But she was well aware that there was no escaping this chat with Apple about how 'Apple's destiny will now be out of reach for sure now that she has done that' and the metalic but neutral walls that carried many large mirrors stretching most of the wall's length that surrounded her. 

"Maybe you should Apple, maybe let them no it's nothing personal and that you got a bit jealous and worried that one of them would take a big part of your destiny away" Ashlynn told Apple who nodded whenever she took a pause whilst holding her knee for some support. Apple looked at Ashlynn's slightly tanned skin and her pink glossed lips before looking out of the shop's window and onto the late night streets of Ever After.

"Oh my Storyteller! Look at the time, I'll apologise tomorrow, they won't be up at this time!" It was not very late at all it was only eight forty five in the evening, well it was late for students not on campus so Apple was right there but she could indeed apologise that evening. But Apple felt a tug inside her to hold back admitting to everyone she was jealous and she also felt a small tug of desire not to apologise at all. 

That little tug should not be there for sure, Apple knew that. But she also wanted to know where this new attitude would take her, and who will win the battle for Daring even if she was sure to regret it later. Ashlynn bit her lip, worried for her friend she followed her out of the shop, locked up, and headed back to campus.